


The Other Side of the Ice

by Synthetic_Miracle



Series: Frozen Apart [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: AU S1 E6 "Through the Ice", Angst, Callum & Ezran - Freeform, Callum is an amazing big brother, Ezran is an absolute sweetheart and I love him, Gen, Inspired by Rise of the Guardians, Rayla & Callum & Ezran, Rayla is awesome and means well, because I got some RotG vibes from episode 6, character death (and eventual rebirth)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 06:12:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16655734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synthetic_Miracle/pseuds/Synthetic_Miracle
Summary: The ice is thin, far too thin to support the combined weight of a human and a dragon egg for long.The water is cold, far too cold to allow anyone who falls in to escape unscathed, if they could escape at all.(Callum is well aware of this, yet he can't let anything happen to his little brother.)





	The Other Side of the Ice

**Author's Note:**

> The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
> But I have promises to keep,  
> And miles to go before I sleep,  
> And miles to go before I sleep.  
> -Robert Frost (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening)

“Is everyone okay?” Callum asks, gasping for air as he digs his way out of the snow drift. 

Almost immediately, Callum notices that Rayla is fine, as she jumps out of her pile of snow and demandingly says, “Where’s that hiccuping, juice-thief frog?”

Rayla’s fury almost makes him smile, but he’s on edge and his heart is frantically skipping in his chest because it takes a moment before he can set his gaze on Ezran. When Callum does see Ezran, he’s smiling a bit and cheerfully answering Rayla, “He’s right there, and he’s okay. We all made it!”

Seeing that Ezran is perfectly fine does wonders for Callum’s blood pressure, although that relief fades a bit as Ezran’s face falls and he goes to grab the egg of the Dragon Prince. 

“I’ll go get the egg,” Ezran says, and Callum relaxes again as the ice doesn’t seem to give his brother much trouble. That all changes once Ezran grabs the egg and takes a step.

Freezing cold panic runs through Callum’s veins as he watches the fragile ice start splintering under the weight of Ezran and the dragon egg. Whatever happened on this crazy journey they had partaken in, Callum had known from the beginning that he could not- no, he would not, let anything happen to his baby brother, yet there he is. The ice is cracking, and Callum knows that something bad is going to happen, he can feel it in his bones, but he scurries across the slippery surface as quickly as he can in the hopes that his little brother will be okay. 

“Ez! Don’t move. We’re coming to get you,” Callum says, trying not to sound fearful and somewhat succeeding. As he moves carefully across the ice, Callum’s heart continues its quick stuttering, but he manages to swallow the terror for Ezran’s sake. Callum makes sure to scooch his way over once he’s getting close to Ez, so as not to disturb the already weak ice, and he hears Rayla smoothly slide across the frozen lake behind him. 

“Stay still, we’re almost there,” Callum says, attempting to be confident, to convince himself as much as Ezran that this ordeal would turn out just fine. When he finally reaches his brother, fractures splitting into the ice around Ez’s feet, Callum is a bundle of nerves, but he knows that Ezran will make it out okay; Callum just won’t allow any other option. 

Calmly, Callum instructs his brother, “Easy does it. Just pass it over.” And then carefully, ever so carefully, Ezran hands the egg to his brother.

When Ezran gives him the dragon egg and the ice stops in its crackling quest to drown the younger prince, Callum begins thanking everything he could think of, from magic to spirits to sheer luck. His relief continues even as the ice begins giving way under him, moving much faster than it had with Ezran. 

“What now?” Rayla asks. Callum knows they don’t have much time on the fragile ice, especially with it fracturing much more swiftly under his weight. He closes his eyes for a second to think- after all, a few minutes before he hadn’t wanted to trust Rayla with the precious egg, yet now he knew there was no other choice. Besides, Rayla had proven herself plenty trustworthy despite the secrets, right? Everyone had some secrets, Callum supposed, and he needed to act now, before both he and the egg fell into the icy water.

“Now… I’m going to hand you the egg,” Callum says, moving to pass her the dragon egg. 

“I’m sorry if I was a jerk before, Rayla. We’re lucky to have you as our friend. I do trust you.”

Rayla suddenly backs away, mentioning something about not deserving Callum’s trust yet? Callum knows that isn’t a ridiculous notion by any means, but he does trust her, and with the ice continuing to weaken beneath him, and with Ezran still in danger, Callum really knows that this isn’t the best time for a heart to heart. However, when Rayla finally starts to open up to them, Callum can’t bring himself to stop her story.

“I need to tell you the truth. This morning, the big rush was because I was attacked by someone. A human. I fought him off, but it was hard. Because of this,” Rayla admits, holding up her bound hand.

“You don’t need to do this right now Rayla,” Callum interjects quickly, as the ice continues to crack with every micro-movement he makes.

“Yes, I do,” she responds. Callum can feel how thin the ice below him is, and he knows that if he makes one wrong move, he’ll most definitely go through, yet his curiosity and awkward manners force him to stay stock-still and quiet. 

“This is an assassin’s binding. A Moonshadow elf ritual. Before I met you, I swore an oath. I bound myself,” Rayla sighs, “to end Prince Ezran’s life. And this binding will never come off while he’s alive, it will just get tighter and tighter until I lose my hand. But I’m ready to pay that price.”

While Callum can’t see it, he has a feeling that Ezran accepted Rayla’s explanation without a hint of malice or distrust. His baby brother is honestly the best person Callum knows, so of course he wouldn’t hold it against Rayla, especially since she’s willing to lose her hand for him. 

Despite the group’s bond growing stronger, Callum’s nerves are all fired up, and he prays that Ez, Rayla, and the egg will make it off of the lake, even if he doesn’t. 

“Thank you for telling us, but we need to focus on the situation,” Callum states calmly. 

The moment Callum moves to hand her the egg, he knows that’s it. The ice gives way beneath him, and he manages to gently toss the egg at her, not getting the chance to see if she caught it as he falls. The last thing Callum hears before he is submerged into the depths of the frigid lake is Ezran’s desperate, shocked shout of, “CALLUM!”

Callum’s weight plunges him down into the freezing water, and he forces open his eyes so he can start swimming, but his body refuses. His muscles start spasming, keeping him from moving towards the faint light emanating from the jagged hole in the ice. His heart is palpitating rapidly in his chest, and he involuntarily starts inhaling the bone-chilling water rather than the air his lungs already desperately crave.

With his body working against him, Callum can’t think, he just panics. 

“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, Ican’tbreatheIcan’tbreathe,” his mind yells, with his lungs screaming at him, but his limbs are unable to cooperate. They stop spasming, going stiff and numb in the bitterly cold water as he sinks down, watching the light trickle away as he drifts further and further away from the surface.

Callum stops struggling with his frozen arms, he can’t find the energy to try to pump them or his legs, to drive them to push him up, up, up- towards life and air and his baby brother. The paralyzing numbness and the deep, dark water envelope him in silence. It’s suffocating, in more ways than one, but it’s also rather peaceful. He knows that he’s dying, yet Callum finds a certain serenity, comforted by the thought that at least… at least he’d saved Ez and the egg… at least… he’d saved… Ez...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> First off, I hope that you've enjoyed the story. I do plan on continuing it in a series, but this can be read as a stand-alone. This story was inspired by Rise of the Guardians, as the scenes with Callum and Ezran on the ice in episode 6 reminded me of Jack Frost's backstory, and I really love that movie so here we are. Of course, I had to change things from the original episode, but the dialogue is taken from the show up until I completely divert from canon. 
> 
> I tried my best to make things medically accurate, with Callum falling victim to cold water shock, which happens when humans fall into super cold water. This occurs in the first minute they are submerged, which can result in muscle spasms, an involuntary gasp reflex that can cause victims to swallow water and drown, increased heart rate/blood pressure, and muscle paralysis. It can also cause cardiac arrest, even in healthy people, although I didn't really put Callum through that particular effect.
> 
> I'd really appreciate it if you commented your thoughts on the story, though I'm thankful that you took the time to read it regardless.


End file.
